Hypnotic Hollyhocks

16x12 watercolor on 140 lb Arches cold press paper done this afternoon for a 2 hour timed online event. I managed to go over by 4 minutes.  The pristine white hollyhocks take center stage as they guard the garden. Look closely and you can see orange tiger lilies peeking through at center bottom.  The old fashioned, tall stately blooms never cease to put me into an hypnotic state almost.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Hollyhock Reflections WIP

11x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper begun Monday as a work in progress and finished today.  For references I used my studio hollyhocks in white and palest yellow that can be seen in the photos below and initial shadow washes.  Some people have asked me to show beginning stages of a floral which always start with dark values.  In the left hand photo that is too dark to see details here, but paned windows are behind the bloom.  Looking through the window you can see a window inside the studio opposite wall north.  To the right on finished painting can be seen pink and white hollyhock reflections.  Window trim was a dull red when it was first painted in 1998.  A few years ago that was changed to hot pink, flanked by spring green shutters.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Harmonious Hollyhocks

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper of white hollyhocks that actually were very pale yellow from a grouping of them at my studio.  This painting SOLD at its first show and is in a private collection in New York City.  Also this image was published in International Artist book "100 Ways to Paint Still Life & Florals" Vol. 2.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2002.